Deleuze and Critical Criminology. Actual engagements and virtual encounters

Gilles Deleuze is not on (Anglophone) critical criminologists’ map, if not very peripherally. The challenges posed by Deleuze’s counterintuitive claims, unconventional terminology, and radical transdisciplinarity have arguably contributed to his underutilisation. However, Deleuze’s concepts hold the potential to enrich criminological inquiry by offering specific ontological, epistemological, and normative insights. From this perspective, the following pages first offer a concise overview of Deleuze’s philosophical framework, then examine the existing applications of his work in criminology. The second part of this paper proposes new avenues for integrating Deleuzian thought into the critical criminological field, examining three case studies — cybercriminology, visual/sensory criminology and border criminology. By encountering Deleuze, the overarching aim is to support critical criminologists’ search for innovative, critical and transdisciplinary frameworks to make sense of the work they do, the data they generate, and the implications they draw.